Savaged: Michigan Supreme Court Quietly Affirms Access to Courts Is Based On Ability To Pay
By Chris Savage
In late November of this year, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a tersely worded order (pdf) that said simply this: On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the July 19, 2011 judgment of the Court of…
Pure Michigan: MSU Survey Shows Governor Snyder Has Lowest Approval Ratings in the Nation
by P.D. Lesko
For the past year, Governor Rick Snyder has been getting pretty much everything he wanted from the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Together, the state's Republicans have been accused of legislatively sucker…
Local Politico to City’s Voters: You’re “Xenophobic,” “Old,” “Selfish” and “Stingy.”
by P.D. Lesko
DDA Board member and former Second Ward City Council member Joan Lowenstein (right) is having a really tough time of it, politically speaking. Should you care? Absolutely. It's a better show than "Real Housewives," but with…
New Ward 2 Council Member Jane Lumm Scores Spots on Powerful City Council Committees
by P.D. Lesko
City Council committee appointments are out, and it looks as though newly elected Second Ward Council member Jane Lumm worked some black magic to get herself spots on two of the most powerful Council committees.
For…
Ann Arbor Politicos Dish Up Millions in Public Money & Give SPARK Pals A Pass On Public Accountability
by P.D. Lesko
I read a Tweet from Ann Arbor SPARK on November 17th: "Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK's CEO, speaking at the VC breakfast in San Jose, California. http://twitpic.com/7felds."
Krutko was the Chief Development Officer for the…
The Parent Trap: Errors In Co-Parenting
Sophia van Buren
I resisted the urge to look up and scan the audience, but the temptation was just too great. At least it didn’t take long to find her. She was sitting alone and motionless in the stands about 30 rows above the high…
Ann Arbor Crosswalk Ordinance Mess Gets National Attention
by P.D. Lesko
On The Atlantic's web site, writer Micki Maynard quotes David Askins of The AnnArborChronicle.com explaining how the pedestrian crosswalk ordinance mess has gotten so out of hand. Askins, with a straight face one presumes,…
Michigan GOP Legislators Move To Make Recalls Much More Difficult
by P.D. Lesko
According to a December 1, 2011 piece in The Chicago Tribune, "Less than a month after the rare recall of a state lawmaker, Republican leaders in the Michigan Senate proposed a constitutional amendment to limit the reasons…
Savaged: County Commishes Suggest Euthanizing Local Humane Society Over Money Dispute
By Chris Savage
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."— attributed to Mohandas Gandhi
What would you call a group of municipal leaders that was receiving $1.5 million in…
The Culture Vulture: Gangster Movie Madness
by Nick Leshi
Even though they are often fraught with stereotypes, gangster movies are still one of my all-time guilty pleasures. Some of my favorite films are in that genre: The Godfather, Carlito's Way, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, TV's …